Texas Tech Unveils New Uniforms for Lone Survivor Game

10/28/2013 01:59 PM

10/28/2013 04:51 PM

(David Collier)

The Red Raiders will wear the special Under Armour uniforms against Kansas State on November 9.

LUBBOCK, Texas – In conjunction with the Lone Survivor Foundation, the Military Order of the Purple Heart and Under Armour, Texas Tech University will present the “Lone Survivor Game” on Saturday, Nov. 9, when the Red Raiders take on the Kansas State Wildcats at Jones AT&T Stadium.

Based on the harrowing story of former Navy SEAL and fellow Texan, Marcus Luttrell, the Lone Survivor Game will bring national recognition to the Lone Survivor Foundation as well as pay tribute to our nation’s veterans, and the active duty personnel of the United States Military.

“It’s a great honor that Texas Tech is recognizing the sacrifices of my teammates,” Luttrell said. “I am grateful and appreciative of the Red Raiders and Under Armour for honoring my brothers on and off the field. God Bless Texas.”

Luttrell’s story will be portrayed in the upcoming Universal Pictures film “Lone Survivor,” due to hit theaters across the country in early January. The film stars Mark Wahlberg and tells the incredible story of four Navy SEALs on a covert mission to neutralize a high-level al-Qaeda operative and ambushed by the enemy in the mountains of Afghanistan.

Luttrell and his Lone Survivor Foundation will be the feature of Tech’s game against Kansas State and the memory of his fallen comrades will be respectfully honored on a specially designed game uniform provided by Under Armour. Red Raider fans that wish to join in the celebration of this game can purchase Under Armour Lone Survivor gear and replica jerseys at local retailers beginning today. Game-worn jerseys will be auctioned off following the game on texastech.com with 100 percent of the proceeds supporting the Lone Survivor Foundation.

“Texas Tech is honored to have Marcus Luttrell, the Lone Survivor Foundation, Purple Heart recipients and Gold Star families on our campus for a celebration of courage,” Kirby Hocutt, Director of Athletics said. “The sacrifices of so many brave men and women, including Marcus, give all us all great reason to pause and reflect on their service in defense of our great nation. This game will be a great opportunity for Red Raider fans to show their admiration and respect for our veterans and active duty military personnel.”

In addition to the celebration of the Lone Survivor Foundation, Texas Tech will host more than 400 Purple Heart recipients and their families from all across the nation. The gathering is expected to be the largest of Purple Heart recipients on American soil in history. These brave men and women will be honored for their service to our nation in a special ceremony that will also feature Tim Kingsbury (father of Kliff Kingsbury) and the late Guffrie Smith (father of head basketball coach Tubby Smith). Kingsbury and Smith were both awarded Purple Hearts while serving in Vietnam and World War II, respectively.

In addition, Texas Tech will host Gold Star families from the South Plains as well as guests from Cannon Air Force Base in Clovis, N.M.

The pageantry of the game will feature paratrooper and veteran Dana Bowman, who will skydive into Jones AT&T Stadium during the pregame with a parachute dedicated to Purple Heart recipients and the American flag. The Goin’ Band From Raiderland will also present its “Celebrate America” halftime show.

Tickets for the Lone Survivor Game (Nov. 9) are available for purchase online at texastech.com or by calling the athletics ticket office at (806) 742-TECH. Kickoff has been set for 11 a.m. CT on ABC.

In conjunction with the Lubbock Area Marine Corps, Texas Tech Athletics will sponsor a “Stuff the Truck” event. Fans are encouraged to bring an unwrapped toy to the game and drop it off at the Texas Tech Football truck located at Gate 1 of Jones AT&T Stadium. Local area Marine Corps personnel will be on hand to accept all donated toys!

8 a.m.

Pre-Game Show Featuring Paratrooper Dana Bowman

Former member of the US Army’s Golden Knights

Jones AT&T Stadium

10:40 a.m.

In-Game/Halftime Celebrations of America

Jones AT&T Stadium

11 a.m. Kickoff

--TECH--

About The Lone Survivor Foundation

MISSION: The Lone Survivor Foundation restores, empowers, and renews hope for our wounded service members and their families through health, wellness, and therapeutic support. THE NEED: Overseas deployments and combat action can take a serious toll on everyone involved – from the men and women on the front lines to the friends and families who wait patiently for their loved ones to return home. Transitioning to post-military life, whether wounded in combat or simply adjusting to the civilian sector, will often cause difficulty for the service member and his or her family. We are here to help America’s wounded service members and their families adjust to the effects of their experiences by providing an understanding and acceptance of who they are as a person, a family, and a community. GET INVOLVED: www.lonesurvivorfoundation.org

About Marcus Luttrell

Marcus Luttrell’s Lone Survivor, the 2007 #1 New York Times best-selling book, tells the harrowing, emotionally raw account and motivational story of his survival and the deaths of his comrades-in-arms in Operation Redwing, a mission to gather intelligence on Taliban leadership in Afghanistan. Marcus’ NEVER QUIT attitude was key to his survival and his recovery at home.

After surviving his operations in Afghanistan, Marcus returned home to his ranch in Texas, the center of his post-combat recovery and restoration. On the ranch, Marcus had time to recover, to think, and to feel the love and support of close friends and family as he healed his wounds. Based upon first hand experiences of what is needed to provide holistic healing beyond standard government programs, while honoring his lost comrades from Operation Redwing, Marcus established the Lone Survivor Foundation in 2010.

The intent was to bring the wounded service members into the same type of environment that healed Marcus. A place of solitude and beauty, where there was a close-knit and understanding support system. A place where the service members and their families could heal together as they all worked through the consequences of war. The foundation is dedicated to honoring and remembering American service members by providing unique educational, rehabilitation, recovery and wellness opportunities to U.S. Armed Forces members and their families.

About the movie “Lone Survivor” from Universal Pictures

Based on The New York Times bestselling true story of heroism, courage and survival, LONE SURVIVOR tells the incredible tale of four Navy SEALs on a covert mission to neutralize a high-level al-Qaeda operative who are ambushed by the enemy in the mountains of Afghanistan. Faced with an impossible moral decision, the small band is isolated from help and surrounded by a much larger force of Taliban ready for war. As they confront unthinkable odds together, the four men find reserves of strength and resilience as they stay in the fight to the finish.

Mark Wahlberg stars as Marcus Luttrell, the author of the first-person memoir Lone Survivor, whose book has become a motivational resource for its lessons on how the power of the human spirit is tested when we are pushed beyond our mental and physical limits. Starring alongside Wahlberg as the other members of the SEAL team are Taylor Kitsch, Emile Hirsch and Ben Foster. Lone Survivor is written and directed by Peter Berg, who again crafts a striking portrait of the unbreakable bonds between men that he first explored in Friday Night Lights.

About the Uniform: Under Armour, Inc.

·Winged design inspired by the LSF logo to represent Operation Red Wings. The wing design is showcased on the helmet and shoulders of the jersey.

·Under Armour developed a custom “Never Quit” print for the helmet, shoulders of the jersey and pants.

·Number 19 prominently displayed on the helmet and jersey patch honors the 19 soldiers who gave their lives during Operation Red Wings.

About the Purple Heart

The Purple Heart is awarded to members of the armed forces of the U.S. who are wounded by an instrument of war in the hands of the enemy and posthumously to the next of kin in the name of those who are killed in action or die of wounds received in action. It is specifically a combat decoration.

The organization now known as the "Military Order of the Purple Heart," was formed in 1932 for the protection and mutual interest of all who have received the decoration. Composed exclusively of Purple Heart recipients, it is the only veterans service organization comprised strictly of “combat” veterans.

Funds for welfare, rehabilitation and/or service work carried on by the organization are derived through the collection of used household items, the operation of thrift stores, through the donation of automobiles and, at the community level, from the annual distribution of its official flower, the Purple Heart Viola. Violas are assembled by disabled and needy veterans, many of whom receive little or no compensation from other sources. Thus, your contribution to our programs serve are two-fold. First, they help the veterans who participate in these endeavors and, secondly, they enable the organization to do many things on behalf of hospitalized and needy veterans and their families.

Wives, mothers, daughters, step-daughters and adopted daughters of Purple Heart recipients are eligible to belong to the Ladies' Auxiliary of the Military Order of the Purple Heart, which also does important work nationally and locally in veterans' hospitals.

About the Gold Star

The Gold Star Lapel Button, also referred to as the Gold Star pin, is distributed to members of the immediate family of a fallen servicemember by the Department of Defense. The pin is distributed according to strict Department of Defense guidelines for servicemembers who have lost their lives in conflict or in support of certain military operations. The Gold Star has also appeared on flags, as was popular during WWII, which families would hang in the window to indicate that a loved one had been killed overseas. Gold Star Families, those included in this Registry, are individuals who have received the Gold Star Lapel Button from the Department of Defense for the sacrifice of their loved one.

The National Gold Star Family Registry is the first comprehensive database of the United States’ fallen Heroes and their families ever developed. The Registry not only affords family members the opportunity to publicly remember their loved one, but serves as a historical log of our nation’s true heroes. By providing educational resources and personal accounts, the Registry ensures that future generations may know who these brave Americans were—not only how they died, but, more importantly, how they lived.

The information in the Registry is compiled from a number of different public sources including the Department of Defense and the National Archives. Adhering to Department of Defense guidelines for families who receive the ‘Gold Star Pin,’ the Registry only includes the names of heroes who have given their lives on the battlefield.

About Cannon Air Force Base

The nearest US Air Force base to the Texas Tech University campus, Cannon Air Force Base is located 90 miles west in Clovis, N.M. The base is home to the 27th Special Operations Wing (27 SOW), which activated on Oct. 1, 2007, and is assigned to the Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC).

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